# A story where every single word begins with 's' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500 "2006-08-05T22:53:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harrylentil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/53a042/32.png) [@harrylentil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harrylentil)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/1 "2006-08-05T22:53:27Z")
It’s out there. I read it in a newspaper nearly 20 years ago. Every word without exception begins with ‘s’. It’s several hundred words long. Can anyone post a copy? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/2 "2006-08-05T22:54:03Z")
Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/3 "2006-08-05T23:06:46Z")
“Sorry” seems somewhat supercilious. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/4 "2006-08-05T23:07:49Z")
Such stories seem stupid. Society should suppress such sad silliness. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/5 "2006-08-05T23:28:30Z")
I was able to find [this site](http://www.areasofunrest.net/39/23Nov97.html), which may assist in your search. > [@](#): > > I told “The Three Sisters” which got a lot of laughs but I was more surprised at how many people remembered my performance from last year, when I did “Sam Short’s Story” which is a lengthy piece (roughly 400 words) which was written around 1890 by Katy Whelan in which every word starts with “S”. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/6 "2006-08-06T00:07:19Z")
\*\*One \*\* Wednesday Wally was walking whilst whistling (without worries), when, without warning… What? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/7 "2006-08-06T00:45:17Z")
Suffering succotash seems sorta silly. Some scripter spent some season structuring simple S speech sentences. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/8 "2006-08-06T01:02:09Z")
I did it using m in english for a short short story. The teacher said something like “How nice, and don’t do it again.” Example: Miny mouse munched my marshmallows. I have no idea what it was anymore, bit I did use marshmallows in it. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/9 "2006-08-06T02:52:41Z")
It is unusual but not _that_ difficult to construct an occasional paragraph or story (fiction or nonfiction) that has a similar distinguishing quality. Most of us (if not all) could accomplish similar tasks don’t you think? Is it actually that tough to do ? ---
**Author:** ![harrylentil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/53a042/32.png) [@harrylentil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harrylentil)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/10 "2006-08-06T03:07:31Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] It is unusual but not _that_ difficult to construct an occasional paragraph or story (fiction or nonfiction) that has a similar distinguishing quality. Most of us (if not all) could accomplish similar tasks don’t you think? Is it actually that tough to do ? [/QUOTE] I reckon ‘s’ is the only letter that would give you a chance to write something grammatical and that makes sense in English, that is about 600 words long. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/11 "2006-08-06T03:14:40Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] Is it actually that tough to do ? [/QUOTE] It’s an intellectual exercise of an excess of idleness over ability, as if every item in an article initiaties in a… vowel. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/12 "2006-08-06T04:18:47Z")
[QUOTE=harrylentil] I reckon ‘s’ is the only letter that would give you a chance to write something grammatical and that makes sense in English, that is about 600 words long. [/QUOTE] For some reason, I thought the thread title said ‘x’ when I clicked on it, which I suspect would be pretty much impossible. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/13 "2006-08-06T05:31:13Z")
Try here: [http://www.davescooltoys.com/twists.html](http://www.davescooltoys.com/twists.html) Near the middle of the page, it begins: > [@](#): > > Shrewd Simon Short sewed shoes. Seventeen summers saw Simon’s small, shabby shop still standing, saw Simon’s selfsame squeaking sign still swinging swiftly, specifying: -Lil ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/14 "2006-08-06T07:15:35Z")
In my last posting, I was not trying to diminish “Sam’s Short Story”. No. It was just my sly way of introducing my own bit of word play. In as much as a link was found for “Sam’s Short Story” I thought this hijack was okay - (particularly with similar postings showing up). So, why is this posting (and my last) so unusual? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/15 "2006-08-06T08:28:26Z")
For an honorable mention, may I note…[The Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion-Eating_Poet_in_the_Stone_Den)? ---
**Author:** ![Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donovan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/16 "2006-08-06T08:48:10Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] In my last posting, I was not trying to diminish “Sam’s Short Story”. No. It was just my sly way of introducing my own bit of word play. In as much as a link was found for “Sam’s Short Story” I thought this hijack was okay - (particularly with similar postings showing up). So, why is this posting (and my last) so unusual? [/QUOTE] [unusual but not unique](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0899684459/sr=8-1/qid=1154853952/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-3054176-8076703?ie=UTF8) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/17 "2006-08-06T11:13:57Z")
Well _Fables for the Cybernetic Age_ by Stanisaw Lem has a lovely poem with this characteristic. I seem to recall the first line as something like: Silently snoring Samson slept Soon savagely shorn sightlessly seeking some spectacular suicide. ---
**Author:** ![merrily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@merrily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrily)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/18 "2006-08-06T12:10:24Z")
By way of variety, may I offer this: [The Siege of Belgrade](http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/webstuff/poetry/Watts-AnAustrianArmy.html) (Title I originally heard) > [@](#): > > An Austrian army awfully array’d, > Boldly by battery besieged Belgrade. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/19 "2006-08-06T14:38:33Z")
I was going to post that, but I thought the Lem thing was more directed towards the OP. Great poem. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500/20 "2006-08-06T15:07:46Z")
In the English translation of Stanislaw Lem’s _The Cyberiad_, a computer is created that is designed to be the best writer ever, and is asked (as an intended stumper) to come up with a poem “…about a haircut! But lofty, noble, tragic, timeless, full of love, treachery, retribution, quiet heroism and in the face of certain doom! Six lines, cleverly rhymed, and every word beginning with the letter s!!”. Even before its creator can finish protesting that this is an absurd request, it produces: > [@](#): > > Seduced, shaggy Samson snored. > She scissored short. Sorely shorn, > Soon shackled slave, Samson sighed. > Silently scheming, > Sightlessly seeking > Some savage, spectacular suicide. I’ve always wondered what the poem/problem was in the original Polish! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-story-where-every-single-word-begins-with-s/367500.md?page=2)